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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23958292">Jason and The Apocalypse</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/DIW/pseuds/DIW'>DIW</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Batman - All Media Types, Constantine: The Hellblazer (Comics)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Batman mentioned - Freeform, Gen, Magic, Papa Midnite mentioned, Some flirting because why not, Violence, Zombies, cursing, joker mentioned - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 15:34:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,961</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23958292</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/DIW/pseuds/DIW</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Gotham has been over run by zombies. Zombies that grin and laugh and eat your neighbors.<br/>The city's been evacuated but the Red Hood is still cleaning up the streets to the best of his ability.<br/>Now he gets to escort the Hellblazer himself as they try to stop things from getting worse.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>58</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jason ran over the rooftops, a wary eye on the dark sky threatening a down pour to add to the gloom, ears open for the telltale laughter. Not that all the infected were howlers, even if they all have that too wide smile stretching their faces, but there was usually at least one in any of the big groups that formed. And it seems that they are now largely traveling in packs. Of course there wasn’t any organization to the groups, but once one found food all the infected ambled over, and then when it was gone they all shuffled off at roughly the same speed, none of them getting very far. This had led to large groupings tending to be stuck in the same areas, though there were often one or two running off on their own.</p><p>The singular ones were both easier to hunt and also the more dangerous ones. When a singular zombie found food, their prey had a much better chance to get away versus when a horde ran in to swarm. And that was the problem. A bite and an escape led to a new zombie, where as a swarm killed completely.</p><p>This whole thing was so ridiculous. Who the hell really thought there would be a zombie apocalypse? Who thought zombies were a thing that really existed to begin with. Jason was proudly undead, but he never had the urge to bite anyone-any more than he did as a scrappy kid at least. Drinking blood and eating people meat, just did not sound like a fun evening to him.</p><p>And the movies that he had been forced to watch – like a lot, because his idiot brothers and idiot friends all thought that it was <em>so</em> funny (and yeah it was, he was the biggest supplier of zombie jokes at his own expense)- were right when they showed how quickly the mindless could take over. The population was pretty mindless to start anyways, so other than the disturbing laughter and the cannibalism it wasn’t so different.</p><p>Before society- or at least Gotham’s version of it- collapsed, when the zombies were just starting to be a very real problem, Red Hood had managed to track down a rumor and trace to patient zero. Batman was working that problem too while the others were focused on herding the uninfected away, protecting and trying to quarantine.  </p><p>They were still convinced at that time that there might be a cure, that the poor creatures could be saved. They were still sticking to the no kill rule. Hell they still stood by it.</p><p>As far as Jason was concerned, once they were turned they were already dead, he was just helping to remind the bodies to stay down.</p><p>The original zombie was, well, a proper zombie. Some poor dead bastard reanimated to do some voodoo mans bidding. Then this idiot- someone called Papa Midnite, which, it had to be a fake name right? Jason just couldn’t understand why if he was taking a fake name anyways why go for one that made him sound like a child molester? –sent his new toy into Gotham, because that was ever going to be a good idea. But it was worse than that, because he sent his fucking zombie in in the middle of a fucking Joker break out.</p><p>And while finding this out was good, and figuring it out before Batman was a good ego boost he needed in the middle of the shitstorm, it otherwise turned out to be pretty much pointless. He put a bullet through the things brain, which surprise surprise didn’t turn everything back to sunshine and rainbows, but it was a nice form of catharsis. He dragged the body back to the cave so they could run tests, work on that cure they thought they could find, sat through a scolding about being reckless and killing and everything else he apparently has done wrong in his life, then got back onto the streets to actually deal with the psycho brain dead killers spewing the laugh that had haunted his nightmares since he was 15, putting on his big boy pants and got back to putting the zombies down.</p><p>Now standing on a rooftop at the edge of china town he heard the laughter –the only real noise the creatures could make- and he watched as they all hurried over towards whatever luckless prey they managed to find this time.</p><p>They had been trying to get the uninfected out of the city, but there were some who were too scared to leave and some who were too stupid. If this was another looter who thought they were immortal, he was going to bust their heads himself.</p><p>He ran in the direction they seemed to be heading and after a brief search he found the intended victim. Standing in the centre of the street was a blonde man in a trench coat.</p><p>Jason pulled out his guns and watched as the man held up his hands which lit up with fire. Jason raised a brow as the man lunged forward to the closest howler setting him on fire – the way he immediately went up from a touch to his chest told Jason that the fire hands were not just for show. The man pushed the fiery zombie back towards the gathering crowd, catching the others he stumbled into on fire as well, all while they laughed that notorious laugh.</p><p>The man jumped as the zombie lunging for him from behind exploded grey matter all over him. He turned to see the now headless zombie flop to the ground, eyes tracing the shot right to the Red Hoods rooftop location. Though he is quickly distracted by the still gathering monsters.</p><p>“Get to a rooftop if you can. They aren’t great climbers” He shouts down, picking off zombies while the man keeps lighting them up.</p><p>The man looked around then started making his way over to the alley beside the building Jason was on. Jason moved so he could keep shooting the ones still following, more were slowly gathering in the area drawn by all the noise they were making.</p><p>He lost sight of the man as he focused on defending the opening to the alleyway, but he heard him cursing up a storm and the clang of the fire escape being climbed.</p><p>He turned around pointing his gun at the other man who held his hands up seeming amused.</p><p>“You get bit?”</p><p> “Not by that lot. I’ve got <em>some</em> standards.” He put his hands down and pulled out a cigarette. “John Constantine, here to help with your zombie problem.”</p><p>The Red Hood reluctantly put his guns away, looking the other man over closely. “Yeah. Batman’s got a file on you. Some sort of magic user right?”</p><p>The older man nodded “And what are you supposed to be? The Red Bat?”</p><p>“Red Hood actually. You said you’re here to help out? I’ll admit that fire thing was swell trick, but you don’t quite have the fire power I could use out here. According to B you’re a bit of a flim-flam magician, so what’s your plan here? Other than wandering into a hungry horde.”</p><p>“Please tell me that The Batman used the term ‘<em>flim-flam’</em> in whatever file he has on me?” Jason snorted in response. “From what I’ve heard of you Mr. Hood, you’re a bit of a violent crime lord. Guess that would a come in handy in this mess though. Surprised the whole damn Justice League hasn’t swooped in actually.”</p><p>“Yes. Because a Zombie Superman would be a big help.” Constantine made an assenting motion. “Batman has a no meta rule and it still stands. Bringing in someone who could get infected and then spread it all over to the rest of the country is not something we want. S’why we destroyed all but one of the bridges out a town.” Eyeing him through the mask he continued, “It’s why the Bats and police are guarding the perimeter. So how exactly did you get in? You sure as shit weren’t here when it started.”</p><p> “Getting into places I shouldn’t be is one of my main skills.” He smirked, taking one final drag on the cigarette and dropping it to the rooftop to stomp it out.</p><p>“And why would you bother? What do you think you can do?”</p><p>“I’m…an acquaintance of Papa Midnite –the voodoo man-“</p><p>“Who sent the poor undead bastard in yeah, yeah.”</p><p>Constantine raised an eyebrow and continued. “A zombie- one of the<em> proper</em> types, risen with magic and under Midnights complete control, was sent in to hunt down a witch that had crossed him. He lost control shortly after his pet arrived, and as much as I <em>loath</em> to admit it, Midnight is not a man to lose control. He thought that the witch might have been more powerful than anticipated and wanted me to come fix his mess.”</p><p>“Didn’t figure you for a lackey. If he’s so powerful why isn’t he here himself?”</p><p>“Midnight doesn’t get his hands dirty. And I don’t take orders from anyone. I’m here because it’s the right thing to do.” Jason only had to tip his head to the side before the man spilled, “And I’m getting paid a favour in return.</p><p>“Now I’m here trying to find out what made our boy go rogue. The witch theory isn’t holding water for me, see a zombie was sent because usually they tend to be magic resistant. You must have noticed yourself Mr. Undead Hood?” He asked with a smart ass grin.</p><p>“Oi.” Jason took a step forward poking a finger into the other mans chest, while deciding what to be annoyed about. “That’s our word.”</p><p>The man snickered. “Right, sorry mate. Well your friends out there are not being affected by any spell. The original would usually have its mouth sewn shut so that it can’t bite anyone if the one who summoned it loses control. Wondering if this witch decided it would be fun to watch the world burn. Cut the connection and the stitching. Don’t know where this laughter came in though. That sounds gonna be haunting me for a while.”</p><p>“Guess you don’t pay much attention to Gotham villains.”</p><p>“The world’s too full of crazy to keep track of all of it.”</p><p>“Well too bad your voodoo friend isn’t clairvoyant. Sent his pet in just as the Joker made another attack on the city.”</p><p>John shuddered. “Yeah, I’ve heard of that one. Real nasty piece of work. And I’ve met actual demons. Not a magic user as far as I know.”</p><p>“No just an amateur chemist. That laughter? Symptom of Joker gas. And you get a look at those pearly whites they were showing off?”</p><p>Constantine leaned over to glance at the zombies ambling around below them. “Hard to miss those ghastly grins. Can’t imagine that being the last thing you see before you are bitten to death. But what’s that got to- oh. The original. Got a dose and his lips pull back, tore the stitches out with a smile. Glad I wasn’t around to see that. This joker gas, what’s it do?”</p><p>“Different varieties. But the most common thing is the laughter, and the grin. In heavy doses it kills you quick and nasty, as soon as the smile sets in. Lower doses makes the victims need to act irrational, destructive.”</p><p>“So our boy rips his mouth free, then the gas lets him ignore Midnights instruction.”</p><p>“And it seems he’s carrying the gas in his bite. Those that get bit get the toxin too.”</p><p>“Why do only some of them do that horrible laughter?” Constantine asked</p><p>“As far as we can tell it’s only the ones that have been dosed with the gas before become howlers. And being Gotham, that’s a good percentage of the population.</p><p>The sky chose that moment to open up on them. Constantine startled, looking like a cat caught in the water. “What are the odds that our hungry friends down there are going to run for shelter?”</p><p>“Nothing seems to bother them much.” Jason crossed his arms looking just as unaffected with his helmet and jacket.</p><p>“Well, can we maybe run for shelter? Not that I don’t love a good rooftop rainstorm.”</p><p>“Fine. Follow me. And keep up.” Jason turned and took off across the roofs with practiced ease.</p><p>“Fecking vigilantes.” Constantine muttered and tried to follow after.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The rest of the evening in which Constantine tries to get to know his new acquaintance</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They eventually made it to a safe house, John annoyed that <em>The Hood</em> seemed to be laughing at him every jump of the way.</p><p>He was at least thrown a towel when they climbed in through the window before moving over to dig through the kitchen cupboards.</p><p>The vigilante had removed his leather jacket but was still completely covered head to foot. It was slightly unnerving staring at a faceless mask on an anonymous man, with an alarming amount of weapons mounted on the walls.</p><p>The Hood pulled out an electric kettle and a bag of rice.</p><p>“Gonna eat with that mask on.”</p><p>“With Bat trained resourcefulness it’s possible.”</p><p>“That seems normal to you?”</p><p>“With Bat trained paranoia it’s possible.”</p><p>John just shook his head. “Mind if I smoke?” He asked already lighting up as he wandered around the small open space. It was clean and organized. Weapons on the walls, books on the shelves. On closer inspection he had a variety of titles, poetry and classic literature, books on management and cooking, with a small amount of children’s books on the very bottom shelf. A gardening magazine sat on a beat up coffee table, which made Constantine snort. Not going to get a lot of use out of that in a fourth floor apartment in downtown Gotham.</p><p>“Go for it.” The sarcasm sounded odd coming through the voice modulator. “So what’s your plan now? Still hunting down the witch?”</p><p>“Not much point to it if she had nothing to do with this mess. I might try to locate the original zombie, see if I can undo it’s bite some how, but it could be anywhere in the city. Could get Papa Midnight to try to track his pet, but I doubt he’ll be able to tell at this point. So a fun bit of scrying for me tonight.”</p><p>“Not something you enjoy?”</p><p>Constantine huffed. “It’s useful, but very draining. Usually feels like I’ve run a marathon – me in my current physical fitness- while actually sitting on my arse staring at a map and bleeding down a crystal.”</p><p>“Well save your magic, I know where Papa’s pet is. I can take you to it when the rain lets up. Tea?”</p><p>John twisted around surprised by the question wondering if he misheard, but no, the criminal turned bat associate was pulling the screaming ketal off its stand and pouring it into a waiting mug, before looking up awaiting for his answer.</p><p>John shook the dumb expression off his face and nodded. “Yeah, good night for a cuppa.”</p><p>He walked over and grabbed the second mug, loose leaf… jasmine. He thinks. It smells good though. He looks around and is surprised when an ashtray is slide across the table to him. He stubs out the smoke and took a sip. The burning felt good, and the taste was clean.</p><p>When he looked up he was happy to see the man finally removing his helmet while he plated the rice. Then he turned around wearing one of those idiot masks some of the leaguers wear.</p><p>Bat paranoia is right.</p><p>A plate and a fork was put in front of him and he sat to eat. Not the most impressive meal he had ever had, better than he would have made given the night he had, and more than he expected to be given.</p><p>“So… streets are mostly abandoned. Not much more policing to be done. You just think popping zombies is fun or what?”</p><p>“Yep. Nothing better in the world.” John raised an eyebrow at him but the other kept his eyes on his plate. Maybe. Hard to tell with the mask. ‘Gotham is my home. I’m cleaning it up so it can be home to others again. What’s the point in running the criminal element when the criminal element has ran?”</p><p>Can’t fault him there. Looking the kid over he was young. Early twenties probably. Solid build and a good shot with the weapons he was carting around. He could see how this boy might pose a threat. He couldn’t see how he was a threat to Batman but they seemed to have moved passed that. And doesn’t that sound like a story. The Bat playing nice with the gangster.</p><p>“So how’d that happen? Criminal to cape? Didn’t think the bat was for ultra-violence.”</p><p>“He has opinions on it. Which he repeats loudly and often. But crime alley is my domain and I’ll protect it how I need to.”</p><p>“Which meant going good.” The boy shrugged noncommittally, but Constantine could see how the other was growing more tense the longer they talked. It was subtle, but John had an eye for these things after many, many years of being decked for poking at sore spots. He loved to poke and prod long past sensible.</p><p>“I go either ways.” He said before pointing his fork at John “Take that however you like.”</p><p>Constantine embarrassed himself by swallowing his rice the wrong way. The prick just smirked eating his meal. John would be upset…but he had to cede the point to the asshole with a small grin of his own.  He liked to think it was hard to catch him off guard. Conversation wise at least. It was worth losing the thread of the dialogue. Momentarily at least.</p><p>The rest of the meal passed in relative peace, then the kid threw him a pillow and told him he could sleep on the couch. And not to enter his room unless he wants to get shot, a threat that seemed to be very real, then disappeared behind the closed door leaving John to his own devices.</p><p>He considered scrying anyways but decided to trust his host and reserve his energy until he needed it. And thinking of the world outside that window, he probably would need it soon.</p><p>Besides it had been a long trip and a tiring day and all he wanted to do was crash headlong into the uncomfortable looking couch and pass out till morning.</p><p>So he did.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>More talking. Sorry. Talking heavy story. </p><p>I just really wanted a chance to explore these two characters</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Getting ready to head out</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jason managed to sleep through the night after an hour of forced meditation. Even with a stranger in his place he knew he would need to be rested the next trip through the city. Of course he woke up five hours or less after he finally went to sleep but it would be good enough. It had to be, he was too alert to pretend to go back for even another five minutes.</p><p>He padded over to his bathroom after sticking on another domino, peeking out to check that his guest was still where he should be- the quiet snores confirmed it- and he got washed up for the day.</p><p>Then he made his way into the second bedroom which he had turned into a mini training area. He had weights if he needed them, and a punching bag, but today he went to the mats and went through several stretching routines. Something to focus on that wouldn’t wake up the blonde brit sleeping in his living room. Just because Jason couldn’t sleep didn’t mean the other guy shouldn’t. He could prove useful, new eyes on the zombie issue, with knowledge they might not have.</p><p>He still kept the door open a crack so that he would know when the guy woke up. He didn’t like the idea of a stranger running around one of his safe houses unsupervised.</p><p>And he was content with having only that to worry about at the moment, so of course Dick Grayson had to call him.</p><p>His first thought when he saw his phone light up was that someone got bit. His second was that it was way too damn early for any one of them to be awake. His third was that he had been pocket dialed while Dick slept. It had happened before, the guy slept with his phone in his hand. Left a fifteen minute voice mail of snoring and sleepy mumblings. It gave Jason great hope that that meant that the older former Robin was at the <em>very</em> least an unattractive sleeper.</p><p>He answered the phone with trepidation but was quickly warmed to find that Nightwing was still just an idiot. He listened while the other, who just decided that <em>today</em> seemed like a great day to be a morning person, told him that everything was going fine, the evacuation camps were running smoothly, and without too much crime or thievery so far. It wouldn’t last Jason knew, but he hoped the citizens could hold out for a while longer.</p><p>Jason shared his bit of news. Constantine in town and the connection to Papa Midnight. Dick was annoyed at the other magic man and threated to hunt him down after this was settled and give him his best puppy eyes and ask that he never send another zombie to Gotham. Nightwing claimed proudly that he had been working on it recently and it was almost good enough to crack Damian now. Babs and Tim still had no reaction but he would keep trying!</p><p>Jason would never admit even under whatever torture the bat bros might inflict on him, that hearing Dick be a goofball was a balm to his troubled mind. He wondered if the guys’ big brother sense had been tingling and that’s why he called in the first place.</p><p>Then with business wrapped up Jason was happy to hang up but Dick decided that this phone call about refugee camps and zombie attacks, and voodoo priests was the perfect time to start telling him all about how me might maybe possibly be getting back together with Babs sometime in the future. Hopefully. She had been responding more positively to his flirting recently, and stopped completely ignoring him when he got silly, now she would just sigh heavily like she used to and Dick was taking that as a sign that she was willing to give them another chance.</p><p>Jason hoped that she had just given up and was playing along with him, and wasn’t losing her mind and taking the doofus back.</p><p>“This isn’t going to be like all the other times, I swear! Babs has always been the girl for me. I may have said that sometimes about other girls, but it was never true the way it is with her!” Dick continued rambling, though Jason tuned him out as he heard Constantine take a step, which the man probably thought was silent, closer to the room Jason was in.</p><p>“Yeah, yeah, whatever you slut. I got to go, I’ll check in sometime this week.” Dick started to protest at that but Jason hung up on him and turned to the doorway where John Constantine was leaning casually.</p><p>“Girlfriend?”</p><p>“Brother. Zombie apocalypse and he thinks now is a good time to call and tell me all about his love life.”</p><p>“Ah, It’s good to know that no matter where you go, no matter how bad things get, that there will be at least one couple shagging in a broom closet some where.”</p><p>Jason snorted at that.</p><p>“So I do believe you promised to take me out when the rain let up, and it seems to have stopped sometime in the night.”</p><p>Jason nodded walking past him. “Just give me a minute to get properly suited up.”</p><p>“Please tell me we are not going for another rooftop run. I am too old for that and I would really rather not die in Gotham. What would my mates think? Had to find the bleakest city on earth in which to become street pizza? I might have a flair for the dramatic but I do have to draw the line somewhere.”</p><p>“We’re driving. Give me five minutes. Are you good to go?”</p><p>The blonde shrugged. “Unless I can use your shower.”</p><p>Jason nodded his head towards the bathroom. “Knock yourself out.”</p><p>While the other disappeared to wash up Jason quickly donned his body armour and grabbed a backpack to start filling with the meals he had premade and kept frozen. It looked like he would need to do a supply run soon. He was down to a quarter bag of rice, an aging apple and a handful of protein bars at this point, and depending on how long he had to play host that wasn’t going to last long.</p><p>He <em>could</em> always kick the con man out.</p><p>But if there was a chance that he could actually find a way to stop this, <em>without</em> bombing the city, it was worth the annoyance of sharing his space for a little while.</p><p>He flipped on his coffee maker and threw the rest of his coffee beans in the pack before zipping it up.</p><p>Of course there were plenty of good arguments for and against bombing the city. He’d listened to them being debated more than once</p><p>Most of the surviving residents had been evacuated so any damage would mostly be structural. Only offices and warehouses and peoples homes and everything they couldn’t carry with them. The pets left behind to starve.</p><p>Jason was glad that he wasn’t one of the people who got a vote. He knew this…infection couldn’t be allowed to spread, couldn’t ruin more lives, bring more nightmares. And he wasn’t known as someone who held back from the more explosive options.</p><p>But Gotham was home. It would destroy him to see her leveled.</p><p>He rather he stay, clean it bit by bit all by himself than lose what was left.</p><p>He was just pouring the coffee into a thermos when he was joined in the kitchen. Jason glanced over at the other man and tossed him a protein bar. “Ready to go?”</p><p>The blonde looked at the protein bar before shoving it in his coat pocket. He snagged the thermos and saluted him with it. “Whenever’s clever.”</p><p>Jason rolled his eyes and grabbed the bag, his helmet and made sure his guns were secured, before leading them out of the apartment.</p><p>They took the elevator to the basement of the building, a storage area, and then down a secret entrance to the Red Hoods private garage.</p><p>As much as he would prefer the maneuverability of taking a bike, he decided it was just easier to throw the bag in the back and hop into one of his borrowed cars.</p><p>Constantine climbed into the passenger seat and they took off back into the chaotic city.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Some Zombie action next chapter!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The boys go out into the city and run into zombies. They come up with a terrible plan.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Odd as it was Constantine felt refreshed as they drove through streets filled with ambling zombies. He had a decent sleep, the nightmares vague enough that in the morning he forgot what they were. Having a gun totting wild card watching his back was strangely reassuring. The shower was hot and the coffee was good, now if the kid could drive like a sane person it might be a good morning. By his standards at least.</p>
<p>The zombies watched them pass by, stumbling in their direction, but there was no way they could match the speed and with music on they didn’t get a hint of the creatures’ laughter.</p>
<p>They were halfway across the city when the car slowed down. “Well.” Constantine started. “That’s a good sized horde.” And it was. There seemed to be more wandering bodies here than in the rest of the streets they passed through combined. He shuddered as he looked at them turning and slowly approaching. “Think you can run through them?” The car looked like a junker, but he wasn’t so naïve to think that it wasn’t bat grade in any way. Maybe they could get through the worst of it here.</p>
<p>“I could…” The vigilante turned to look at the abandoned buildings around them. “Or you could play bait and we can trap a decent amount of them somewhere. Less to worry about the next time we get caught outside.”</p>
<p>“That sounds like an awful idea.” It was in fact so bad that it actually sounded like one of Johns own plans. “Why don’t you play bait instead? I can sit safe and sound right here until you need me.”</p>
<p>“Or better yet, we could go with the original plan and I shoot the ones that get too close.”</p>
<p>“So that wasn’t part of the original plan?”</p>
<p>“You can take care of yourself I’m sure.”</p>
<p>“Thanks for your faith.” John snorted. “What’s the actual plan?”</p>
<p>The shrug he received wasn’t very reassuring. “That factory over there-“ He nodded at a smaller building, barn doors out front opened, probably ransacked by looters. “Lead them in, out run them while I close the door and make sure other exits are closed. Run out and lock them in.” It wasn’t the most…involved plan. “I’ll keep an eye on you.”</p>
<p>“You know the city is empty right? Not much risk of these guys doing much harm right now.”</p>
<p>“Until one gets out of the city. Or a reporter comes in, or people decide they want to live out their favourite video games, or the military-“</p>
<p>“Alright, alright.” He surrendered. “But I’m only being bait this one time.”</p>
<p>The other had just put his helmet on but Constantine would swear he hear the guy snort and he was not amused to be so easily dismissed by a kid. A kid who could break him like a twig or leave him locked in with the monsters.</p>
<p>Constantine took a deep breath- along with a drink from his flask- as they drove closer. They drove right up to the door, so all he had to do was jump out and start waving his arms and cause a commotion and all the zombies down the street were focused on him.</p>
<p>The hood drove off and around the building, hopefully to check that the doors were locked, and not just abandoning him for kicks.</p>
<p>Once they got close enough he turned and ran into the factory proper narrowly avoiding a couple of zombies that were already in the building.</p>
<p>He darted past conveyor belts, around boxes that had been knocked over. “Yeah, yeah, come and get me, you tossers.” The creatures were slow, but not as slow as he wished they were, not now that they smelled prey, and he didn’t <em>quite</em> have the stamina of a parkour enthusiast.</p>
<p>He heard banging on one of the side doors, and hoped that meant it was being secured and not that they were getting more rowdy.</p>
<p>He ducked an arm swiping for him and jumped over a table. Looking to the front entrance he saw more and more pouring in. The real danger here was getting trapped in a corner.</p>
<p>So of course he gets himself trapped between a wall, a stockpile of cardboard boxes and his approaching doom.</p>
<p>They kept laughing.</p>
<p>Their faces didn’t move, their eyes didn’t blink, but they laughed.</p>
<p>Well, fire worked yesterday so why not a repeat performance. It was 90% parlour trick and 10% magic, which about summed him up, but soon his hands were alight and he grabbed the nearest box and hurled it at the approaching crowed. Gun shots rang out from the entrance and knocked away a couple of the closer aggressors.</p>
<p>“Get up that ladder!”</p>
<p>Constantine turned and saw the Red Hood closing the doors and had a momentary lapse into panic. He glanced around and spotted the ladder, a small thing against another wall leading up to a small catwalk.</p>
<p>He dodged a few reaching hands as the fire spread, giving him a slight reprieve. More shots from the doorway that was open only a crack now.</p>
<p>He got to the ladder and climbed the first few rungs as the door shut fully, cutting him off from the outside.</p>
<p>The important thing now was climbing. They were grasping at his leg, trying to pull him back down. Laughing at his attempts as they burned.</p>
<p>He kicked free and made it to the top, taking a moment to catch his breath. He glance to one side and then to the other. One ladder going up, one thin walkway, and that was it. No doorways or exits. No escape.  </p>
<p>The fire he started was spreading below. The zombies crashing into each other and the machinery. The group seemed to be growing agitated being crammed so close together, pushing move aggressively into the walls and the boxes and hitting the ladder. They were burning and still the laughter drifted up to him from multiple grinning mouths.</p>
<p>They had managed to trap a fair number in the building. Looking out across the floor John was surprised that he managed to escape the swarm at all.</p>
<p>There were a few very concerning popping noises but he was more worried about the smoke filling the building.</p>
<p>He almost missed the sound of breaking glass as he was busy tried to cough up a lung.</p>
<p>His current least favourite vigilante burst through a window and landed on the catwalk. “What’cha waiting for? C’mon!”</p>
<p>Huffing Constantine rushed over to the man and glanced out the window. They were too high for his liking, with a nice hard ground to land on.</p>
<p>There wasn’t much choice at the moment though as something exploded below them rocking the path they were standing on.</p>
<p>He turned and saw his companion leaning over the railing watching the hellscape beneath them. “C’mon kid we got ta go.” He grabbed onto his arm and shook him to grab the boys attention.</p>
<p>The other shook his head and after a long second turned and wrapped his muscular arms around Johns own frame. He jolted and was about to let the other know that they could hug it out later, when he was lifted off his feet and falling through the air.</p>
<p>They landed surprisingly softly, well, not softly but softer than he was expecting, just outside the building.</p>
<p>He watched as the other detached a cable they had apparently used in their decent, but then watched him turn back to stare at the wall to the factory. The heat from the fire could still be felt and there seemed to be more popping noises coming from inside.</p>
<p>Constantine shuddered. Maybe it was his imagination but he would swear he could still hear them in there.</p>
<p>“Whenever you’re done admiring our handy work, we have more fish to fry.”</p>
<p>The man jumped at his voice and turned his blank faced helmet to stare in his direction. It was unnerving as hell but John refused to back down. Only raising an eyebrow in return.</p>
<p>“Sorry.” The other said lightly slapping his shoulder as he walked past him towards the car. “That was pretty much all my nightmares come to life and rolled into one.”</p>
<p>John snorted and climbed into the passenger seat. “Next time, you’re bait.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry I have no idea how to write anything remotely action. Hope it was alright</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A trip to the cave and the introduction of Red Robin</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They pulled up to one of the less frequently used entrances to the batcave. Constantine was busy bitching about something and not paying attention to where they were driving. He wasn’t entirely sure where Constantine fell in the “bat-friend” scale, but he doubted knowledge of the where abouts of their main base, let alone their secret identities, was something he’s been given.</p><p>The older man seemed to notice the change of scenery once they were in the tunnel proper.</p><p>“Well I’ll be damned. If I knew this was all it took to get into your cave…” The man turned a smirk on him, before watching back out the window. Jason was glad that the helmet hid any reaction he might have had.</p><p>They pulled up to the main area with all the other vehicles. Jason was thankful that the place was largely deserted so there was no one to see the way his legs wobbled as he exited the car. Constantine was too preoccupied by the souvenirs lining the cave to take any notice.</p><p>“Little old for dinosaurs, don’t you think?”</p><p>“Batman likes to keep mementos from some of his more spectacular fights.”</p><p>“Serial killers keep mementos, mate.”</p><p>“Be sure to remind him of that next time you run into each other.” He laughed pulling the bag from the back seat. He clasped the mans shoulder as he walked past into the cave proper.</p><p>“Red!” He called out sauntering up to the computer.</p><p>“Hood.” An annoyed voice replied.</p><p>He walked around the chair to see the smaller former Robin glaring up at him. So, doing what any good big brother would do, he dropped the heavy bag on the kids lap without any warning.</p><p>“What the hell...” The kid doubled over as it hit his legs, and then opened it up warily. Tim’s face lit up though when he discovered the bag of coffee on top, so Jason quickly snatched it away. “Hey-” He pouted.</p><p>“I know how many meals are in there,” He warned “and I will know if you skip any. Breakfast first then you can have this back.”</p><p>Dejectedly digging through the bag Tim grabbed one, dropping the rest on the floor carelessly and walking the three steps to his microwave, sitting on top of the mini fridge (filled almost exclusively with energy drinks Jason had been horrified to discover) that was serving as the babybirds kitchen. RR nodded over at where Constantine was admiring the giant penny. “B’s not going to be happy.”</p><p>“Good thing you’re not a snitch then.” He shrugged, ruffling the shorter guys hair. “You know him?”</p><p>“Only through the reports.” Tim replied giving him an odd look.</p><p>“He thinks he can help some how. Wants to see our original cadaver.”</p><p>“To do what exactly?”</p><p>“Hell if I know.” He walked Tim back to the chair and leaned on the back of it. “Any luck with your research?”</p><p>“Not so much. We might have an immunization soon…ish. But nothing to reverse this.”</p><p>Jason hummed twisting the chair from side to side.</p><p>“You still think there <em>is</em> no cure for this.”</p><p>Jason hummed again and pat him on the head before heading over to their guest.</p><p>Constantine was looking at their uniforms on display, pretending not to watch their interaction when Jason walked back to him.</p><p>“So, most of these ‘mementos’ seem harmless enough but-“ Constantine shrugged over to the infamous display case with the shredded uniform lit up as a constant reminder to brood.</p><p>“A monument to the fallen.” He replied and gave the case a flippant salute before turning on his heel. “Cold storage is this way.”</p><p>There was an energy running through Jasons body that he couldn’t stand. He grabbed a screwdriver off a workbench as they passed just to have something solid to hold on to.</p><p>Constantine was silent for a good solid 29 seconds before he had to open his mouth. A record? “So you’re a lot friendlier with the colony than I had originally assumed.” When Jason looked over at him the blonde shrugged. “You do know your way around the place.”</p><p>Jason snorted and tossed the screwdriver from hand to hand. “Yeah, I was given the grand tour. In fact Robin-the-current tried to push me off the ledge just over there.” He jutted his chin in the direction and found the right drawer in the homemade morgue. And yeah, Bruce put a morgue in his basement. He flew right past ‘emo’ and into ‘morbid’ and ‘disturbing’. He vaguely wondered if Alfred was annoyed his kid still hadn’t gotten past the Goth teenager stage. Jason only just managed to hold back another snort at the mental image.</p><p>“Very interesting relationship” Constantine was saying as the drawer was pulled open. “Ah yes, heres the bugger.” Constantine got right up and personal with the body straight away.</p><p>He poked and prodded at their friendly redead corpse, examined the holes around the mouth- the area the thick thread still hung loose- before opening the mouth and looking inside.</p><p>“We have run a number of tests” Red Robin offered appearing behind them and making the brit jump. Jason allowed himself a smirk, it was after all a favourite game they all liked to play. “Nothing uncommon other than a lethal amount of Joker Toxin. It would be surprising it didn’t drop him, except he was, y’know, already dead at the time.”</p><p>There was a bit of back and forth between the other two for a bit, which Jason tuned out. He wondered if pulling out another drawer to lay down on would be considered rude.</p><p>“Well, I’m gonna run my own tests if you two don’t mind. And if you are in a sharing mood, I could use a couple of things.”</p><p>“Things?” Tim asked</p><p>“Candles, salt, blood, you know, the usual.” He gave a mean grin at the younger hero, as though any of that would be throw either of them off.</p><p>It was a matter of minutes for them to gather the requested items.</p><p>Constantine grunted as he clumsily caught the bag of blood Tim tossed to him, and gave the teen a dirty scowl while the kid just grinned unapologetically. “And now a bit of privacy if you two chatterboxes don’t mind.”</p><p>Jason exchanged looks with Red junior, a shrug and a nod and they began to exit the area side by side. “Sure, we’ll just leave you here alone with the ex-zombie.” Jason called over his shoulder.</p><p>“And hundreds of bats overhead. Shout if either option gets to biting.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I don't know where I am going. If any one is reading I'll try to wrap this up soon.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I don't even know what this is. All dialog no zombies.<br/>Sorry</p><p>Title referencing the movie Anna and the Apocalypse</p></blockquote></div></div>
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